Key art for the upcoming ninth season of AMC's The Walking Dead drenches Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors in red.

Wearing the character's signature hat, departing star Andrew Lincoln takes up most of the image, practically, splitting it in two. He's flanked by hordes of walkers, as well as fellow survivors Carol (Melissa McBride), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), all against the backdrop of the runs of Washington, D.C.

The previous season of he Walking Dead left Rick & Co. with a critical choice: spare Negan or kill him. Unilaterally, Rick opted to allow Negan to live in honor of his dead son Carl, a decision that created conflict in the ranks.

A year and a half later, the communities are working together to rebuild. Nature, however, has other plans. Man-made structures on the brink of collapse are giving way to the natural environment and new challenges.

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As if walkers aren't bad enough, new obstacles and forces are on the horizon. One is so formidable and unexpected, it challenges the very ideals of civilization survivors fought to uphold.

The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The series returns on Oct. 7 for its ninth season on AMC.